MHS members’ event
with Richard Gravett from Sissinghurst

In 1935 on a cruise of the Mediterranean, Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson visited the ruined island of Delos. The island provided such a source of inspiration that on their return they decided to create a Greek garden in homage, the ‘Delos of Sissinghurst’. Despite their best efforts the Kentish climate and soil proved barriers to realising their vision, then when World War 11 broke out, the garden could not be maintained as gardeners were away serving. By 1953 difficulties continued and Vita wrote “This has not been a success so far, but perhaps some day it will come right.”

Bit by bit parts of the garden were removed, replanted or repurposed until 2013 when Troy Scott Smith was appointed as Head Gardener at Sissinghurst and called for a return to Vita and Harold's original intentions, reinstating Delos as a Greek garden.

Since then much work has gone into realising the vision and Richard Gravett will be here from Sissinghurst to tell us the lessons learnt. Valuable lessons for our own gardens as climate change is bringing hotter drier summers to this corner of Kent, and Mediterranean planting is becoming more and more viable, even necessary.